Aminishiki Ryuji
| 安美錦 竜児 Aminishiki Ryūji |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Ryūji Suginomori October 3, 1978 Aomori, Japan |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 140 kg (310 lb; 22 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Isegahama |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | January, 1997 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (September, 2007) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (4) Fighting Spirit (1) Technique (6) |
| Gold Stars | 8 Asashōryū (4) Musashimaru Takanohana Hakuhō Kakuryū |
| * Up to date as of Feb 27, 2017. | |
Aminishiki Ryūji (born October 3, 1978 as Ryūji Suginomori) is a Japanese sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1997 and reached the top makuuchi division in 2000. He has earned eleven special prizes and won eight kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna during his career, which is twice as many as any other active wrestler. He has twice been runner-up in a tournament. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake. He is in the all-time top ten for a number of sumo records, including most top division wins, most top division appearances and most tournaments ranked in the top division. He wrestles for Isegahama stable.
Aminishiki was born in Fukaura, Nishitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture. He had an extensive sumo pedigree and background. His grandfather was a wrestler for Dewanoumi stable in the past, and his older brother was Asōfuji who would proceed him joining Ajigawa stable (later renamed Isegahama). Both joined this stable because their father, an innkeeper and fisherman was the cousin of the stable's owner, the former Asahifuji. In his younger years, he was also inspired by the wrestler Kaihō who was five years his senior and went to the same primary, junior and senior high school as he did. He excelled at sumo in ability and determination from very early on, and by the time he joined his stable he was already known as a wrestler with possibly greater potential than his older brother.
He made his professional debut in January 1997. He reached the second highest jūryō division after three years in January 2000. He made the top makuuchi division just three tournaments later in July 2000. He won his first special prize in his debut top division tournament, for Fighting Spirit. In January 2003, he scored his first win over a yokozuna by defeating Takanohana, who announced his retirement the next day. He was a runner-up in the May 2003 tournament. In 2004, he briefly fell to jūryō after suffering an injury in the July tournament.
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